I’m against poisoning innocent little girls. How about you? Oh, you’re against it too? Hey, great! But George Bush is all in favor, at least if you believe the propaganda recently being lobbed against his Administration.
One ad funded by an opposing political party that shall remain nameless features a cute little girl with a cup of water in her hand. She looks into the camera and asks, “May I please have some more arsenic in my water, Mommy?”
Charming, isn’t it? Apparently Democrats think Clinton was happily poisoning children for most of his Administration, because this all has to do with a last-minute rule imposed by Bill Clinton. The rule required that the water supply have no more than 10 parts per billion of arsenic, instead of no more than 50 parts per billion.
The Bush administration has set the costly new rule aside. Therefore, he is out to poison little girls.
But toxicologists will tell you, the dose makes the poison, otherwise we’d all be dropping like flies already. There have always been natural traces of all kinds of “poisons” in the environment and in our bodies. And there is just no scientific evidence that 50 parts per billion of arsenic poses a health risk.
Even if politicians disagree over the science, is it fair to imply that Mr. Bush is eager to poison little girls? Well, no . . . but this is the kind of demagoguery career politicians of every party practice when they’re desperate to hold onto power. Honest public policy starts with honest debate.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.